The opposition Free Party will vote against the draft statement submitted by the Social Democratic Party (SDE) this week according to which the Riigikogu would support Estonia joining the UN Global Compact on Migration, party chairman Kaul Nurm said.

"In a constantly changing world, these kinds of international base agreements are undoubtedly necessary, but the version currently heating up is not acceptable to Estonia," Nurm was quoted by spokespeople as saying.

The Free Party added that the government must continue discussions on these topics with other EU member states until a text satisfying Estonia's national interests is achieved.

"The document presented in its current form sadly does not follow them, encompassing in itself several wordings and principles justifying migration," said the party chairman. "Taking this into consideration, the board of the Free Party is suggesting voting against the draft statement initiated by the Social Democrats."

The Free Party board discussed the UN Global Compact on Migration on Monday.

According to the board, the draft statement submitted to the Riigikogu is weak and does not include all reservations important for Estonia regarding the text of the migration pact. Thus, the Free Party does not support the wording of the submitted draft, nor does it support the migration agreement on the state level.

SDE submits draft statement to Riigikogu

President of the Riigikogu Eiki Nestor (SDE) on Monday submitted to First Vice-President of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa (Centre) a draft of a statement compiled by the SDE according to which the Riigikogu would support joining the UN Global Compact on Migration. The draft statement is supported by MPs of the SDE and Centre and was signed by 39 MPs.

The draft statement has been opposed by the parliamentary groups of Pro Patria and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE); the position of the Reform Party remains unclear as of yet.

A simple majority of votes in the Riigikogu is necessary for the statement to be adopted.

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